akovac

The movie "I am Number Four" goes through the motions of so many all-too common clichés seen in a huge number of popular previous teen dramas. It's still fun to watch, thanks to suspense slowly building up and culminating in some pretty well done action sequences in the final parts of the movie.

What struck me most, however, was how huge chunks of the movie appeared to be a pretty blatant form of surreptitious or covert advertising, namely for photography and, in particular, for digital photography equipment. Having this as a hobby or passion is made to appear as not just a very desirable and worthwhile pursuit in itself but also something that can make a person happy and somehow special. It is shown as an easy way for even shy people to make contact with new people that may otherwise be difficult to approach and that will always give something to talk about even if one doesn't have much to say otherwise. In fact, it will make one appear so interesting and "mysterious" that having this interest is a way to attract ones dream partner... even more so if one invested to get this very special camera by "Canon" that Sarah likes so much because "it's got all those light leaks that make photos come out so interesting". To show him what she means by this, Sarah can lead "John" to her bedside very naturally, in order to show him a photo she's shot with this camera. Shy girl getting the special guy to her bedside is (subliminally, at least) as close to having sex as it gets in this movie that's otherwise too clean for any actual physicality of that sort.

Advertisement, even of the regular type, often tries to bypass conscious recognition of the message it tries to implant. The subconscious is addressed directly because it not only understands what's implied but also doesn't critically reflect it but simply believes even the most unrealistic and banal types of suggestion. In that sense, covert advertisement and product placement may work even better that the regular type, provided the target audience doesn't notice the attempt at being manipulated like this. This element of the movie can, probably, easily be missed (or dismissed), but I'd like to encourage anyone who intends to watch this movie (or watch it again) to pay attention to this aspect. You'll probably be surprised at how obvious - and pervasive - it actually is.

The plot: empty, if not silly. The arch of the story was really not going anywhere.

Character depth: nonexistent.

The fight scenes: The one - and only - thing I really liked was the Chinese fighter. Wonderful movements. Made all the others look really cumbersome. Without the camera work, all of it, except mentioned Chinese fighter, would have been just embarrassing. But there is worse, I guess.

There was some effort put into the costumes and the attempt to keep up the semblance of a story. But it was just too shallow and empty beneath to redeem this movie.

Good, though, if you have other things to do and just want something to run in the background. You can just look at the movie from time to time and are certain not to miss anything of importance.